Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand

End the Limo Loophole Act This bill revises the definition of commercial motor vehicle to include vehicles that are designed to transport 9 or more passengers including the driver (currently, at least 16 passengers including the driver) and requires the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to finalize a rulemaking to require states to implement an annual inspection program for commercial passenger-carrying vehicles.

Take Unsafe Limos Off the Road Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation to award grants to states that have enacted and are enforcing laws that require the impoundment or immobilization of stretch limousines if such limousines are found to have certain defects upon inspection.

Maximizing Outcomes for Moms through Medicaid Improvement and Enhancement of Services Act or the MOMMIES Act This bill establishes a series of programs and requirements under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) relating to maternal health. For example, the bill expands eligibility for coverage under Medicaid and CHIP from 60 days to one year after the last day of pregnancy and requires such coverage to include oral health services. The bill also establishes a demonstration program in which states receive grants to implement or expand models for maternity care homes that provide services to Medicaid or CHIP beneficiaries. The Government Accountability Office must report on (1) gaps in coverage under Medicaid and CHIP for pregnant and postpartum women, and (2) the use of telehealth by state Medicaid programs to increase access to maternity care.

Safety, Accountability, and Federal Enforcement of Limos Act of 2021 or the SAFE Limos Act This bill sets out requirements to improve the safety of limousines. Within two years of the bill's enactment, the Department of Transportation (DOT) must apply to newly manufactured limousines specified motor vehicle safety standards related to the installation of seat belts and other occupant crash protections. In addition, DOT must report on the feasibility, benefits, and costs of retrofitting limousines to meet those standards. DOT must also develop additional motor vehicle safety standards to improve limousine safety. This includes standards related to (1) side impact protection, roof crush resistance, and other aspects of crashworthiness; (2) evacuation in the event the exit in the passenger compartment is blocked; and (3) the use of event data recorders. Additionally, the bill requires that individuals who remodel new limousines submit to DOT and annually update a plan for mitigating limousine safety risks. The plan must include, among other topics, verification that the remodeled limousines meet applicable safety standards. Further, individuals who modify used vehicles into limousines must certify that the modified vehicles meet such standards. The bill also requires limousine operators to disclose the date of, results of, and any corrective action needed to pass the most recent vehicle inspection. The Federal Trade Commissions shall enforce the disclosure requirements.

Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act of 2021 This bill modifies the process and policy related to the disposition of charges and convening of courts-martial for certain sexual assault cases and other specified offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Among other elements, the bill provides that the determinations on the preferral, disposition, and referral of charges for specified offenses under the UCMJ must be made by a commissioned officer of the Armed Forces who is designated as a court-martial convening authority (in grade O-6 or higher) and who is available for detail as trial counsel, has significant trial experience, and is outside the chain of command of the member subject to the charges.

Respect for Workers Act This bill requires at least one member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to have experience supporting or protecting the rights of workers. This member is in charge of developing policy recommendations regarding the board's goal of maximum employment. (The board is made up of seven members that are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Members serve 14-year terms, with one term beginning every two years.) The bill also requires the board to discuss in their semiannual report the distributional effect of monetary policy.

Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act of 2021 or the CONNECT for Health Act of 2021 This bill expands coverage of telehealth services under Medicare. Among other provisions, the bill allows the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to waive certain restrictions, such as restrictions on the types of technology that may be used; permanently removes geographic restrictions on originating sites (i.e., the location of the beneficiary) and allows the home of the beneficiary to serve as the originating site for all services; permanently allows federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner); and allows the CMS to generally waive coverage restrictions during any public health emergency. Additionally, the CMS must report on the effects of expanded telehealth services during the COVID-19 public health emergency, including with respect to the utilization, quality, and outcomes of services. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation may also test alternative payment models relating to expanded telehealth services.

Community Broadband Act of 2021 This bill prohibits states from blocking the provision of broadband by public providers, public-private partnership providers, or cooperatively organized providers. Further, public providers and state or local entities participating in a partnership must administer applicable ordinances and rules without discrimination against competing private providers.

End Outsourcing Act This bill addresses the outsourcing (transfer) of jobs and companies from the United States to low-tax foreign jurisdictions. The bill (1) requires employers to include an outsourcing statement in worker adjustment and retraining notices; (2) denies employers a tax deduction for outsourcing expenses, including license fees and equipment installation costs; (3) allows a tax credit for similar insourcing expenses; (4) denies employers the use of certain favorable accounting methods and a deduction for interest paid on indebtedness; and (5) requires the recapture of certain tax credit amounts allowed to outsourcing employers. The bill authorizes federal contracting officers to take the outsourcing of jobs from the United States into account in awarding contracts and grants and extending loans and loan guarantees to corporations.

Military Hunger Prevention Act This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to pay a basic needs allowance to certain low-income members of the Armed Forces. Specifically, those eligible for the basic needs allowance are members who (1) have completed initial entry training, (2) have a gross household income that did not exceed an amount equal to 130% of the federal poverty guidelines of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and (3) do not elect to decline the allowance. In situations where a household contains two or more eligible members, the bill specifies that only one allowance may be paid per year to one member they jointly elect. The amount of the allowance must be the aggregate amount equal to 130% of the HHS federal poverty guidelines minus the gross household income of the covered member during the preceding year divided by 12. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) of DOD must notify, in writing, individuals determined to be eligible for the allowance. The notice must include information regarding financial management and assistance programs administered by DOD for which the individuals are also eligible. Individuals who seek to receive the allowance must submit specified information to DFAS.